Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Ricky Pearsall & Xavier Legette (2024 Fantasy Football)

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone. While the real NFL draft is over, the fantasy football drafts are just beginning! That’s especially true when it comes to dynasty rookie drafts. NFL Draft landing spots allow us to start to zero in on fantasy football and dynasty rookie draft pick values. Let’s dive into our dynasty rookie draft outlook and advice for a few rookies.

Fantasy Football Rookie Draft Outlook

Here’s what Fitz expects for a few rookies selected during the 2024 NFL Draft.

49ers Draft Ricky Pearsall

The San Francisco 49ers have selected Ricky Pearsall of Florida with the 31st pick of the first round, pumping up Pearsall’s fantasy value.

After catching 65 passes for 964 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games as a senior at Florida, Pearsall boosted his draft stock with excellent showings at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-1, 189-pound Pearsall ran a 4.41 at the combine and had a 42-inch vertical jump. He posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.90, 32nd-best among all wide receivers to have posted RAS scores since 1987, according to RAS creator Kent Lee Platte.

Pearsall is a crisp route-runner with ultra-reliable hands. He had only five drops over his final three college seasons while recording 146 receptions. Pearsall also has excellent ball skills and is laser-focused on making the catch even if it means taking a big hit.

As talented as Pearsall was, his numbers in his final three college season weren’t exactly eye-popping. He never recorded a 1,000-yard season in college, and over his final three years he had 13 TD catches in 38 games.

The extent to which Pearsall contributes to the 49ers as a rookie largely depends on whether San Francisco keeps reportedly disgruntled WR Brandon Aiyuk or trades him away. If Aiyuk stays, Pearsall likely spends the 2024 season as a fourth wheel in the San Francisco passing game behind Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle (not to mention RB Christian McCaffrey). If Aiyuk goes, Pearsall will play a more robust snap share and have an easier path to targets. Pearsall has the versatility to play inside or outside, and I would expect him to primarily man the slot for the Niners in 2024.

In dynasty, I have Pearsall ranked WR6 among rookies and WR32 overall. He’s likely to go somewhere in the back half of the first round in 1QB rookie drafts, and in the early second round in superflex drafts.

Pearsall’s predraft FantasyPros Expert Consensus ranking was WR78 in half-point PPR formats, and he had a predraft Underdog best-ball ADP of WR80. I have Pearsall ranked WR70 for redraft but will bump him up at least 10 spots if the 49ers part ways with Aiyuk.

Check out his full dynasty rookie draft profile

Panthers Draft Xavier Legette

WR Xavier Legette of South Carolina will make a short trip north to begin his professional career after being drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the final pick of the first round. The Panthers traded up with the Bills for the right to select Legette.

Legette might be the toughest evaluation of any wide receiver in this draft class. He’s a sculpted 6-1 and 221 pounds, with extraordinary athleticism. He ran a 4.39 at the combine, giving him a 98th percentile speed score, per PlayerProfiler.com. Legette also has a 40-inch vertical jump and posted a Relative Athletic Score. Legette’s speed and athleticism shows up on film. He’s dangerous after the catch, and he has a good pair of hands, too.

It’s Legette’s college production profile that raises questions. During his first four seasons at South Carolina, he was an afterthought in the Gamecocks’ offense. In his fourth year, he had 18 catches for 167 yards. But Legette exploded as a fifth-year senior, with 71 catches for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.

Legette played quarterback as a senior in high school, so it’s understandable that things didn’t click for him right away as a college wide receiver. But do we trust a player who didn’t break out until his fifth college season? The 23-year-old Legette is also a somewhat underaged prospect, which might be a turnoff for some dynasty managers.

Carolina isn’t an optimal landing spot for Legette. Diontae Johnson, whom the Panthers signed in the offseason, figures to be the Panthers’ lead receiver, and Carolina is likely to have a low-octane passing game overall. The Panthers had 3,245 passing yards last year, fewest in the league. Even with significant improvement from second-year QB Bryce Young, the Panthers aren’t likely to have a prolific passing attack in 2024.

On the bright side, Legette could ascend Carolina’s WR depth chart quicky if he can make a smooth adjustment to the NFL. Adam Thielen turns 34 in August, and Jonathan Mingo didn’t show much as a rookie.

In dynasty, I have Legette ranked WR10 among rookies and WR50 overall. Expect him to come off the board early in the second round of 1QB rookie drafts and in the mid-to-late second round of superflex drafts.

Legette’s predraft FantasyPros Expert Consensus ranking was WR82 in half-point PPR formats, and he had a predraft Underdog best-ball ADP of WR72. I have Legette ranked WR77 for redraft.

Check out his full dynasty rookie draft profile